The human capital edge: developing a scorecard
The processes to evaluate, monitor and enhance Human Capital are considered to be something of a new science, a little difficult to interpret and unpredictable; Graham Borley, Practice Head for Change and Strategic HR at Blue Edge Consulting shares his tips on how to produce a working model, the human capital scorecard. Most people think […]
Standard Life says keep on working
Financial services firm Standard Life is scrapping the retirement age for its 8,000 employees in preparation for the age discrimination regulations that come into effect next month.From October its staff will be able to choose when they want to stop work, newspaper reports reveal.Josie Westley, of Standard Life’s staff association, said: “Regardless of age, staff […]
Be a green growther, says TUC
The TUC has launched a ten-step plan to cut energy use and protect the environment at work.UK workplaces and work-related transport produce around two-thirds of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions, more than 66 million tonnes each year, the union claims. A 20 per cent cut in energy would be easy to achieve for many organisations […]
Flying high with talent management?
<img src="/files/siftmedia-photolib/photo_friendship.jpg" ?Talent development specialists don’t care much about average ability; they’re far more interested in retaining, indulging and nurturing their high-flyers. But what’s the secret of keeping the elite on board? Annie Hayes asked HR Zone members to share their tips. Elitist?Can talent be easily identified by a pinstripe suit and a swivel chair? […]
Any Answers: Internal Communications – a function in its own right?
HR Zone recently reported on the findings of a study by the British Association of Communicators in Business claiming that 87% feel internal communications should not be part of HR; we invited Bettina Pickering and Rachael Brassey of PA Consulting Group to present their responses. Whilst we are in agreement with the findings , we […]
HR Tip: Foster parents and flexible working
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Q: “A woman has requested flexible working hours to enable her to look after a three year old child. However she is only the foster mother. Does she have any entitlement?” A: Yes. […]
£50,000 or failure – what women want
Women consider men earning less than £50,000 a year to be unsuccessful, research suggests.Almost half (45 per cent) of the women surveyed said a significant income was their top priority when looking for a partner.Men are apparently less concerned about their partner’s earnings. Only 22 per cent said a large salary was their top priority […]
Government HR failures reinstate fired staff
Government HR departments are failing to follow statutory dismissal procedures, meaning increasing numbers of civil servants are being let off dismissal, an official report reveals.Over one fifth of all disciplinary cases involving appeals during 2005-06 were judged ‘unfair’, the report by the Civil Service Appeal Board (CSAB) says. This is an increase of 15 per […]
Worker injuries twice as likely in large companies
Workers in larger companies are twice as likely to be injured at work compared to their counterparts in smaller companies.New research from insurance giant Axa reveals that around a tenth of the workforce has been injured in the workplace over the past five years.Companies with less than 250 employees had a better workplace injury record […]
Flexible work: The ‘how’ not the ‘why’
Parents of children under six or disabled children under the age of eighteen have the right to apply to their employer to work more flexibly but what about people without kids? Carol Savage, founder of flexible work specialists Flexworks (formerly Flexecutive), argues that you can get better results, and less peer resentment, by recognising that […]
Pregnancy: ‘More rights than a protected panda’? By Sarah Fletcher
“More legal rights than a protected species panda bear” is how one senior HR advisor describes the attitude of business towards pregnant employees. Is the increase in statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay in April this year from £106 to £108.85 per week a suitable provision for new parents or does it reflect a general […]
Equality commissions fail to bite
A damning new report reveals the three government equality commissioners have made no use of five of their ten powers and little use of the remainder.And the Public Interest Research Unit, which produced the report: Teeth and their use – enforcement action by the three equality commissions, says matters are likely to get worse under […]
Employer lobbying could reduce pensions for one in six
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) claims that lobbying by employers could see a sixth of the workforce lose pension contributions.The Government’s Pensions White Paper backed the Turner Commission’s proposal that employers should pay three per cent of an employee’s wage into a National Pensions Savings Scheme unless the employee opts out, despite opposition from many […]
What’s the answer? Old grievances
Emma Paish gets legal guidance this week from Helen Badger, employment law expert, Browne Jacobson and Martin Brewer, a Partner with the employment team of Mills & Reeve on managing a grievance dating back three years. The question:An employee during his disciplinary has also lodged a grievance. (He has since been dismissed and is appealing […]
Job hunters target interesting work
Employers who offer interesting work, regular recognition and rewards, and opportunities for quick advancement are the most popular targets for job seekers.But programmes such as corporate citizenship and diversity are not valued as much, according to a survey by Accenture.The purpose of the survey, which questionned more than 4,100 job seekers in 21 countries in […]
New family friendly employment legislation proposed
Parents could be given legal rights to work part-time and choose their employment hours under new proposals being considered by the government.The new rights would also include giving parents paid time off work if a child is ill and compulsory pay audits at work to force companies to reveal if they are paying women less […]
Sick of absence? Causes and solutions. By Annie Hayes
Absence rates continue to average at around eight days and at a cost of around 598 pounds per employee per year so what can be done to encourage workers back to work and is discipline the only way to cap soaring sickness levels? Annie Hayes, HR Zone Editor reports. Rising absence? According to the Chartered […]
Opinion: The benefits backlash
Lynne Currer, product manager, Childcare Vouchers at Accor Services considers the growing resentment towards family-specific benefits and advises employers on how to manage the backlash. The cost of a typical full-time nursery place in England has increased by more than 27 per cent over the past five years. This outstrips inflation by nearly 20 per […]
Briefing: Taking the hassle out of harassment
How can employers prevent discrimination and bullying in the workplace and what systems should they have in place? Do enough employers make use of employee assistance programmes, by providing an independent and confidential counselling service for example? Rachel Dineley, a partner, heading the Discrimination Unit, and Paula Jefferson a partner specialising in Injury Risk at […]
Maternity briefing: The Work and Families Act 2006
The number of applications to Employment Tribunals for unfair dismissal due to pregnancy related reasons in 2003-2004 was 1,170 and in 2004-2005 it was 1,345. Partly in response to this increasing trend the Government has announced a raft of legislative changes, which in many people’s eyes will further complicate maternity rights. The changes:A number of […]
